Before the shootout, Hunnewell, Kansas was a town frequented by cowboys working on the local ranches and corrals.
The Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galveston Railroad provided quick access to the Kansas City, Kansas stockyards, and in the towns heyday it had one hotel, two general stores, one barber shop, two dance halls, and eight saloons, including Hanley’s Saloon (where the gunfight took place).
On August 21, 1884,[1] cowboys Oscar Halsell and Clem Barfoot entered Hanley's Saloon and quickly became drunk, causing a disturbance in the salloon.
Several shots followed, resulting in Barfoot being killed and Deputy Sheriff Ed Scotten mortally wounded.
Oscar Halsell would go on to be a prosperous rancher, later employing such notable outlaws as Bill Doolin and George "Bitter Creek" Newcomb.